Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Harry Potter books.
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FIRST YEAR – First Prank, First Detention
Remus Lupin stepped through the wall and for a moment he had the odd sensation of not existing at all. Then it was over and he was on a platform filled with talking students, fussing parents and a large train billowing steam.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Dumbledore's figured everything out." Said his father. "Don't worry about a thing."
"I won't"
Of coarse that was easier said then done. After all he had plenty to worry about. What if he was terrible at magic? What if no one talked to him? What if they could tell? What if he did something stupid? What if someone found out? What if he hurt someone?
His father seemed to be able to read his mind. "Remus," he said, "everything is going to be fine, everyone is going to be fine, and you are going to be fine."
Remus nodded not trusting his voice and went to look for a place on the train to sit, dragging his old battered trunk behind him.
An older boy wearing the school robes with a shiny badge pinned to them walked up to him as he struggled with his trunk.
"Do you need help with that?" He asked.
Remus, startled, dropped the trunk and looked up at the boy, he was very tall.
"Are you OK?" he asked frowning, "You look a bit peaky."
"There's something alive in my stomach." He said, but of coarse he meant to say something else. He opened his mouth to correct himself but said instead, "It's moving."
---
James Potter looked out the window and popped a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean into his mouth from the packet he had brought from the trolley earlier. He stared around his empty compartment wondering if Hogwarts students just avoided first years or if there was something about him in particular that warded people off.
Maybe I smell, He thought and lifted his arm up and sniffed his armpit just to check. At that moment a boy with longish black hair burst into the compartment, slammed the door shut and sat himself in the bench across from him scowling out the window.
James blinked in surprise and then realising he still had his nose in his armpit lowered his arm stared at the stranger.
"It's OK, don't worry, I don't mind you sitting there." He said, and he didn't. He just thought it was a bit odd for someone to burst into his empty compartment without saying anything, especially since he seemed to have the words 'Stay Away' written on his forehead.
The stranger smirked at him and said rather pointedly, "Well, that's good, because I don't intend on moving." And then continued to glare out the window.
James shrugged, fair enough. "Well, hi … you."
"Sirius Black."
"Do you want a bean?"
---
"Black, Sirius." Called a stern-looking witch who had been introduced as Professor McGonagall to the first years.
Sirius walked up to the stool, making sure he didn't look nervous at all, and sat down. The old patched up sorting hat was placed over his head and the world disappeared behind its dark insides.
"Black?" said a voice in his ear "Well, that would suggest Slytherin."
I will not be affiliated with those people, he thought angrily at the hat, not sure weather he meant the Blacks or the Slytherins or perhaps both.
"OK then, not Slytherin. Hmm… Maybe not Hufflepuff… Ahh, a bright one you are, how about Ravenclaw perhaps? Oh, very loyal too…courageous, Gryffindor even?"
Sirius was about to thought-yell at the hat for suggesting he be in Gryffindor when he realised he didn't really have anything against Gryffindor. And if he were to be in Gryffindor his mother would probably have an aneurism. But then again she'd have the aneurism anyway for not being in Slytherin. But she'd most certainly self-combust if he was in Gryffindor instead.
"Well?" said the hat impatiently, "what'll it be? Slytherin? Ravenclaw? Or Gryffindor?"
Gryffindor, thought Sirius finally deciding, put me in Gryffindor.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Cried out the Sorting Hat for everyone in the hall to hear.
Sirius stood up and walked over to the Gryffindor table blatantly ignoring the stares coming from the Slytherins.
He sat down and stared at the table's wooden surface still wondering weather he really wanted to be there. He looked up as 'Potter, James' was sorted into Gryffindor. It's that strange kid from the train, he thought as the boy sat down next to him.
---
Peter sighed with contentment as he followed the fifth year prefects to Gryffindor Tower. That was the best meal I've ever had, He thought to himself. They reached the portrait of a fat lady and one of the prefects said a word he would later regret not listening to.
He stumbled happily up to his dorm and sank into his bed glad that his trunk had apparently been brought up for him. He heard footsteps and looked up as three other first years entered the dorm. One of them had messy back hair and glasses, another looked very nervous and awkward and the last had issues.
"Move it Pettigrew!" The boy with issues yelled making both Peter and the awkward boy jump.
"Oh, I'm not Pettigrew." Said the awkward looking one somehow managing to look even more awkward. "My name's Remus Lupin."
Remus Lupin looked as though he was about to faint and Peter decided to make sure everyone knew who was who. He raised his hand and said to the one who had issues "I'm Peter Pettigrew."
"And I'm Sirius Black. Does it matter? Could you move Lupin I'm tired!"
Lupin hurried into the room and drew the curtains of his bed as soon as he got there.
"Mate," said the one with glasses to Sirius Black, "I'm James Potter and you have issues."
---
A month of taking lessons together and sharing a dorm had revealed that James Potter and Sirius Black were meant to be partners in crime. And both boys had decided it was time to make their presence known to the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle.
"We should make it something big, something bold, something that says 'We are Sirius Black and James Potter, Gods Almighty.' But without the 'Sirius Black' and 'James Potter' bit because that could have serious repercussions."
"So…Big?"
"Big."
"How big exactly?"
Sirius reached under his bed and pulled out a bag of fireworks. James stared at him, then the fireworks, then back at him.
"Sirius Black, I love you."
---
After weeks of careful planning and much more effort than they ever put into schoolwork they were faced with a problem.
"How are we supposed to get there without being seen?"
"We'll go at night." Sirius shrugged.
"Well, how are we supposed to get there, carrying all that stuff, without being seen, with Filch and Peeves and that bloody cat hanging around?"
"Uhh…"
James groaned in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. After a moment of intense thinking he groaned again and said in despair. "It's impossible! We'd have to be invisible or something."
Invisible. Oh, Thought James grinning, oh. He jumped up and ran over to his trunk throwing its contents haphazardly on the floor behind him. Sirius didn't notice; he'd just had a thought.
"James?"
"Eh?"
"Think of what we could do if we could go invisible."
"I know," Said James grinning and clutching something in his hand, "And it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."
Something dropped into Sirius' lap; a cloak.
---
Remus Lupin walked across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow as the sun set. He shivered and quickened his pace; He really didn't want to still be in Hogwarts when night fell. He picked up a long branch on the ground and jabbed the knot on the base of the willow.
---
"Oi, Sirius." Said James poking the sleeping boy with his wand.
Sirius groaned. Not morning already? He thought in disbelief. He felt something stab his side. Oh right, He thought as he got out of bed, Prank.
---
Peter woke to the sound of voices. Oh no, He panicked, someone's broke into our dorm! He jumped out of his bed and promptly fell on his face. The voices stopped. They know I'm here! He pointed out to himself.
"Back!" He yelled sounding deranged and frightened and brandishing a pair of trousers he'd picked up off the floor. "I'm armed!"
---
Moonlight spilled through the windows of the old shack, revealing dust, broken furniture and a boy by the name of Remus Lupin.
Remus felt sharp stabs of pain throughout his entire body. He cried out in pain and doubled over clutching his sides.
Bloody ow! Was the last thought that entered his head before the moon took over.
---
"Calm down, Pettigrew." Said Sirius holding the fireworks behind his back "James is just being an ass and interrupting people's beauty sleep."
James nodded in agreement hiding the invisibility cloak behind him. "You can put your weapon down."
---
Peter sighed in relief. "Oh, sorry." He said and dropped the trousers.
"No problem." Said the two other boys in unison.
Peter got into bed no longer paying attention to Sirius and James.
Wait a minute, He thought Where's Lupin? But he didn't get time to further consider the whereabouts of his missing dorm-mate as he fell straight back to sleep.
---
Remus Lupin pulled his robes tighter around him in a feeble attempt to fend of the biting, cold dawn air. Madam Pomfrey gave him a concerned look and handed him a coat she was carrying.
"Thanks." He said.
She smiled at him and led the way towards the Hospital Wing.
Bloody ow, Remus thought.
---
James stood up. Now was the moment he'd been waiting all day for. Now was the moment he'd been waiting all month for. Oh the waiting, it had been torture, but now had finally come and he couldn't keep the grin off his face.
"I think I'll go get started on that transfiguration homework we got today," he said to Sirius purely for the benefit of anyone other than Sirius who could hear him, "See you back in the common room."
He walked out of the Great Hall and put on the invisibility cloak when he was sure no one could see him. Then he went back into the hall and half ran to the 'lift off' point to initiate the final phase of Operation Set Off Fireworks During Dinner.
He heard a 'meow' and turned to see Mrs Norris staring at him with a look that seemed to say 'Gotcha'. It's OK, He thought in an attempt to calm himself, you're invisible, she can't see you. The cat meowed again and James looked down at his feet wishing dearly he could kick her, just this once. Then he noticed something that made him swear loudly; his foot was showing.
---
Sirius was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently, not touching his food. He wished he wouldn't, but he was concentrating too hard on not bursting into spasmodic fits of nervous laughter.
He heard James swear and looked up, hadn't he just left? Sirius looked around, in what he hoped was a subtle way, at the 'lift off' point. James wasn't there. Well duh, he thought to himself, he's got the cloak.
Sirius uttered a small scream as he felt a hand grab his ankle; he looked down to see his panicked reflection in James' equally panicked eyes.
"Sirius! Mrs Norris saw me!"
"She what! What are you doing here then, you could get us both caught?"
"If I'm going down, I'm dragging you with me."
"Meow!"
"Run!"
---
What's that? Thought Peter as he spotted a something out of the corner of his eye. He turned around for a better look. It was a shoe, and there was something red next to it. Peter blinked three times exactly before deciding he would finish his mashed potato before having a closer look at the shoe and the red thing.
However when he did go for a closer look the shoe was gone and there were multiple things most of which were red and all of which seemed to have lit fuses. What…? Thought Peter in confusion, and then it hit him.
"Oh no." he said and backed away. But unfortunately for Peter it was too late for that.
---
Remus left the Hospital Wing after much persuasiveness on his part and walked towards the Great Hall for dinner. His wounds from the previous night had already healed completely but he still felt incredibly tired. Nevertheless he didn't want to stay in the Hospital Wing too long in case someone noticed his absence. He was sure, no matter what his father told him, that someone would notice his disappearances every month, and they would find out what he was, and no matter how much Dumbledore had figured everything out it most certainly would happen.
A loud explosion interrupted his thoughts and he jumped in surprise. There was a split second of silence before the screams began.
"Oh dear." he said, the noise was coming from the Great Hall. He paused uncertain of weather or not he should turn back and go to the common room instead, but before he could make up his mind something ran into him.
Two somethings actually.
"Ow!" said James Potter.
"Lupin, if my nose is broken I will never forgive you." Said Sirius Black.
---
The three boys struggled in a tangle of arms and legs before managing to get to their feet.
Sirius looked around and said, "I think we've lost it, crazy feline."
James stuffed something under his robes and nodded in agreement.
"What's going on?" asked Remus.
"Oh," Said Sirius, "We were just…we were just…"
"Running," said James, "from a blood-thirsty cat."
"I see," said Remus though he did not, "Why?"
But before either James or Sirius could answer something short and covered in soot ran into them and knocked them all over again.
"Don't eat me!" wailed Peter Pettigrew squeezing his eyes shut.
"What happened to you?" asked Sirius though he thought he could hazard a guess.
"Firecrackers," whimpered the small, blackened lump that was Peter, "lots and lots of firecrackers."
"Meow!"
James screamed and clutched at Sirius' arm. Mrs Norris glared at the four boys with her Yellow Eyes of Justice.
Filch appeared as if out of nowhere and said with a disturbing amount of glee in his voice "Ahh! I see you found them my sweet!"
Sirius screamed and clutched back.
"You'll be needing to see Professor McGonagall now, after what you did."
Peter squeaked in fright.
"I'm already here." Said Professor McGonagall appearing --as it seemed everyone did in that particular corridor-- as if out of nowhere. She glared at them, eyes glinting dangerously.
"What's going on!" snapped Remus in annoyance, all the sudden appearances and strange frightened noises having gotten to him.
McGonagall cast him a furious look. "That's five points from Gryffindor Mr. Lupin." She said, "You have been caught red handed and must now face the consequences, so don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about."
Remus was about to defend his honour and innocence but the look in McGonagall's eyes suggested that that would be very bad, and possibly very painful for him.
"Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor," she said "each. And I will be seeing you all in detention for this. I am very disappointed."
Years later Professor McGonagall would regret putting them in the same detention. For it was during that detention, whilst alphabetising potion ingredients (and getting covered in something green and slimy), that the notorious Marauders were formed.
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Author's note: I'm not happy with the ending, but alas all things must come to an end and I couldn't think of another way to do it. Anyway thankyou for coming and please leave a review on your way out.
( EDIT: This used to be Seven Years of Marauding but I decided not to continue, so now it is this. That is all.)